Traveling to San Antonio for military training

I have been reading a lot on this forum and was wondering if someone could break down everything I need to know to open carry. I did a search to see if anyone made a quick reference pamphlet but I couldn't find anything. I am a CCW holder in Nevada as well, if it matters.

Glad you're visiting Texas!

The only time you'd be able to OC in Texas is when you're actually engaged in traveling, which is the process of getting from point A to point B; once you arrive at your destination in San Antonio, and for the duration of your stay there until you set out to leave, OC won't be a legal option. However, your Nevada license is good here in Texas (unlike ours in your state ), so you're all set to keep carrying concealed. The off-limits list, etc., for Texas is available at: http://www.handgunlaw.us/states/texas.pdf

A note from my remembering about Nevada licenses - y'all are restricted to only carrying certain semi-autos while concealing with your license (correct me if I'm wrong, I think they're listed by serial number, right?); however, that doesn't apply here in Texas, since we don't have a parallel statute. If you have a semi-auto endorsement from Nevada, you can carry any semi-auto you want while you're here. Enjoy your stay!

It's listed by model and caliber... Because that makes any sense. lol.

Man the laws are pretty strict in TX compared to NV. Do most bars that makes 51% of their income or more post signs or do I have to pull tax records? How many places post no firearm signs?

I appreciate the info. It's going to be weird not open carrying....

MilitaryMike said:

It's listed by model and caliber... Because that makes any sense. lol.

Man the laws are pretty strict in TX compared to NV. Do most bars that makes 51% of their income or more post signs or do I have to pull tax records? How many places post no firearm signs?

I appreciate the info. It's going to be weird not open carrying....

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I wouldnt open carry in a bar while in Texas even if they dont have a sign. You would be supprised how many resturants with bars in the back have to signs on the resturant doors. It's because people simply dont know!
We have a local Cafe that I eat at a lot. They will sell you a beer with you lunch, but far from 51%. Now I dont have a CHL simply because I wont pay Texas for my birth right, with that said 30.06 and 51% still pisses me off. This Cafe I mentioned had a 51% sign on the door one day. I asked the lady that owns the place WTF? She told me some guy said she had to have it and handed it to here to put on the door. BS I told here. The ladies who own the place are naturalized citizens from Mexico. Great bunch of gals. They really dont know all the detail. After I explained what the sign detailed, she was pissed. I told her if the idiot who gave her that sign ever came back in there to call me, I want to have a little"talk" with em.
Open carry while traveling is legal, just make sure you got your traveling story straight.

A quick couple of things. If you're going to San Antonio for military training then you're going to potentially have issues in terms of transporting your weapon. First off, if you're going there for Air Force BMT do NOT bring a gun with you. Wait till after tech school to have your weapons sent to you (and then there will be issues with storage).

If you're already in the military and are just going there for training then the next potential issue is where you're staying at. I know that for most military training/exercises they try to have people stay on base. And if you're staying on base then your weapon needs to be stored in the armory. At which point you probably wouldn't want to bring it with you given the transport/storage issues.

Now if you're already in the military and are going to be staying off base for the duration of your training it wouldn't be a big deal to bring your weapon, but staying on base and trying to bring your weapon is a bad idea.

MilitaryMike said:

It's listed by model and caliber... Because that makes any sense. lol.

Man the laws are pretty strict in TX compared to NV. Do most bars that makes 51% of their income or more post signs or do I have to pull tax records? How many places post no firearm signs?

I appreciate the info. It's going to be weird not open carrying....

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Yep! All places with a license or permit for the sale of alcohol in Texas, both on-premises and off-premises, are required by law to post one of two signs. The "blue sign" says "The unlicensed possession of a weapon...." and applies only to people who don't have a carry permit of some sort. The "red sign" says "The licensed or unlicensed possession of a weapon..." and has a huge bright red "51%" behind the text; it's that red sign that signifies it's not legal to carry there with a CHL, and since 2009, it's a defense to prosecution that the place fails to post the required red sign. Ergo, if you don't see a big red 51% somewhere near the door, you're good to carry.

And it may seem like there are lots of prohibited places, but except for courthouses and schools, almost everywhere needs a 30.06 sign to be off-limits, and the requirements for a valid 30.06 sign are much stricter than a generic gun buster. I bet you'll be like me, and think it's WAY more inconvenient not being allowed to openly carry than saying, "oh, that place is off-limits."

Edit - Aknazer raises lots of valid practical points. If you're going to be on base or coming/going to and from base frequently, bringing a gun is going to be VERY inconvenient, probably more hassle than worth dealing with. Funny that the military makes it so much harder to legally carry sometimes than most northeastern states...

Aknazer said:

If you're already in the military and are just going there for training then the next potential issue is where you're staying at. I know that for most military training/exercises they try to have people stay on base. And if you're staying on base then your weapon needs to be stored in the armory. At which point you probably wouldn't want to bring it with you given the transport/storage issues.

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I will be staying on base and have no intention of putting it in the armory. Don't judge me, I do it everyday. Ever hear of Fort Hood? Not on my watch.

And thanks for the info. As long as there are signs, I will be straight. I will miss Nevada laws for these 3 months...

You've already gotten some good basics in this thread. When you go off-post (sorry, is that "off-base", if you're USAF) and legally retrieve your lawfully owned sidearm, you really don't have much to worry about. There's almost no such thing as a "51% bar" in Texas. Sure, there are a few in SA and other major metro areas, but unless you plan to belly up and drink hard, with nothing more than popcorn and pickled eggs for fare, chances are it's not 51%.

Sure, look for the signs, but unless the place looks, feels, and smells like a "dive", it's probably not a bar. If they have a full service food menu, it's more than likely a "restaurant", legally speaking.

Enjoy your time in Texas. Tour the historic bits of SA while you're there. Enjoy Open Carry when you return home to Nevada, and wish us well as we try to regain that basic human right here in Texas.

Do not open carry even if you are traveling. Legally, you can, but travelling has never been defined by the courts or the legislature and doing so will most assuredly result in your arrest. I'm sure you don't want that hassle and to be a test case is not assured a victory.

Since you have a Nevada license, just keep it out of sight and you willl be fine. Don't want to scare the sheeple.

MilitaryMike said:

I will be staying on base and have no intention of putting it in the armory. Don't judge me, I do it everyday. Ever hear of Fort Hood? Not on my watch.

And thanks for the info. As long as there are signs, I will be straight. I will miss Nevada laws for these 3 months...

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I won't judge you, but my bigger concern would be for the random anti-terrorism measures (RAMs) where they randomly check cars at the gate (so far I've only been hit by it once in my seven years, but still I've seen them performed at every base I've been to), or should the base hit fpcon Charlie+ then ALL cars are checked (a ft hood type incident will make a base go to this, or a 911 type attack will push all bases up to this). Oh and what you're doing is technically illegal and so the mods frown upon such postings (i understand why you do it, but you might want to be a bit more discreet to not draw mod attention).

And yes in the air force they are called bases, not posts. This is also why it is the BX (base exchange) and not the PX (post exchange).

Unless you are a resident of the base/post you are going to, most bases do not allow you to have a weapon in your possesion. If so, it has to be secured in a locked box with ammo seperate.

It would benefit you to visit the website for the base and read their policy. If they do a random search on your car and find it, i guarantee you will not be participating in that training you drove all that way for.

So you are saying I can open carry, on my belt, and in any store that is not selling more than 51% of their business in alcohol? I am from Colorado and will be going to San Antonio in July for the birth of my 6th grandchild.

If you are telling me I can open carry, that means I can carry all the way to San Antonio....right?

jhco50 said:

So you are saying I can open carry, on my belt, and in any store that is not selling more than 51% of their business in alcohol? I am from Colorado and will be going to San Antonio in July for the birth of my 6th grandchild.

If you are telling me I can open carry, that means I can carry all the way to San Antonio....right?

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Legally, yes. The problem is, the legislature has never defined "travelling". I wouldn't if I were you. You most definitely will become the test case to define "travelling" through the court system. I seriously doubt you want that headache.

Edit: That's 51% to be consumed on premises. Liquor stores don't count.

Thanks for the info.

Tonight we were n a restaurant and when I went to find the restroom I found the bar. It of course had the 51% signs BEHIND THE BAR 2 walls deep behind the entrance. I voiced my concerns about it's location, but finished my food and left. Their response "No one pays attention to that **** anyways."

Outstanding. The signs literally spelled out that if you are in possession of a weapon in this establishment, you are committing a felony....TOO LATE!

Oh, and for those freaking out. I am staying off base... For now anyways.

rodbender said:

Legally, yes. The problem is, the legislature has never defined "travelling". I wouldn't if I were you. You most definitely will become the test case to define "travelling" through the court system. I seriously doubt you want that headache.

Edit: That's 51% to be consumed on premises. Liquor stores don't count.

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Ok. I carried through Colorado, New Mexico, and put my side arm in the pocket of the door when I reached Texas and pulled up my Rossi .357 carbine. I guess that is what I will have to do again. sigh

MilitaryMike said:

Thanks for the info.

Tonight we were n a restaurant and when I went to find the restroom I found the bar. It of course had the 51% signs BEHIND THE BAR 2 walls deep behind the entrance. I voiced my concerns about it's location, but finished my food and left. Their response "No one pays attention to that **** anyways."

Outstanding. The signs literally spelled out that if you are in possession of a weapon in this establishment, you are committing a felony....TOO LATE!

Oh, and for those freaking out. I am staying off base... For now anyways.

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It is a defense to prosecution if there is no 51% sign. I would assume that if it is posted deep in the establishment that it would be the same. Also, the bar and restaurant may have been 2 separate entities. If you must go through the bar to get to the restrooms, catch 22, I suppose. Sucks. I would have ignored it entirely, as I do at the 2 local liquor stores in town that are posted 51%. If they were posted 30.06, I would go to the third one.

"If you can read this, you are committing a felony". Haha

The restaurant was divided into 3 areas. The restaurant side, the bar side, then the pool hall side. The sign was in the pool hall area.

Thanks for the info guys.

I am going to San Antonio and Austin in a couple of weeks for some vacation time with the wife the first few days then a work conference the later part of the time.

I will just have to keep it concealed while there, I OC pretty much everywhere I go right now.

Should be fun, I am looking forward to the warm weather, but not the dumb gun laws. It is Texas, I assumed you guys would be more relaxed than somewhere like Nevada!

militarymike

Don't carry on base. What a way to hurt your career. Remember in the military we gain more rights not less. Leave it in the armory until you drive home again, but don't drive around with it. Do you carry on Nelis?

Also, driving in Texas you can have a gun with you in the car if it is not in plain sight.
www.handgunlaws.us and USCCA have good websites to read about all the states you will be driving through.

SA is not that bad you need a weapon with you, I go unarmed sometimes and don't mind it.

Just a footnote to this thread's topic.

"Discretion is the better part of valor".

That statement can be expressed in numerous ways.

When I travel in Texas , I carry a glock in an IWB DeSantis kydex holster with my golf/polo shirt obscuring all but the top of the holster. Glock rear sight is blackened, and I dress with attention given to "concealment".

Net result = concealment, but access to weapons is UNINCUMBERED.

Any attempt to publicly OVERTLY open carry in Texas is simply unadvisable at this time.